Lockheed Martin moving F-16 production to South Carolina

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) - Lockheed Martin is moving production of F-16 fighter jets from Texas to South Carolina.

News media outlets report the company is moving production of F-16s to Greenville, South Carolina, to make room for expanded production of the newer F-35 jet fighters in Fort Worth, Texas.

A company spokeswoman says the move will create about 250 jobs in Greenville.

Defense One (www.defenseone.com ) reports that the United States has not purchased F-16s since 1999, but Lockheed Martin has orders from several countries. F-16 fighter jets first entered service in 1979.

Lockheed Martin Greenville spokeswoman Leslie Farmer says the last F-16 in Texas should be complete in September. Farmer says it will take about two years to begin production in Greenville.

Lockheed Martin currently employs about 500 people in Greenville providing maintenance, repairs and overhauls.